The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-144890 filed on May 17, 2000 including specification, claims, drawings and summary is incorporated herein by reference in its entirely.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for automating switching operations for a web offset printing press, and particularly to an apparatus for automatically actuating each devices successively by an operator pushing a single button.
2. Description of Related Art
In a conventional art, when changing from a previous job to a next job in a web offset printing press, an operator has to operate each device to activate the device in order. This takes a lot of time and burdensome to the operator.
For example, when the previous job is finished, printing units are stopped to clean a blanket cylinder with a blanket. Then, printing plates are exchanged, and further, an old web roll is changed to a new web roll. In order to prepare for the next job, various presetting operations, such as an adjustment of an open degree of an ink fountain key in accordance with a picture pattern of a new printing press, a control of a rotational amount of each ink fountain roll, a determination of an amount of supplying dampening water, and a setting of a folding machine.
In the above described conventional art, when changing from the previous job to the next job, an operator has to activate each device in order. Thus, it takes a long time and a heavy burden is imposed on the operator.
In the present invention, an operator merely has to push a single button to automatically operate each device to solve the above problems can be resolved.
To accomplish the above object, an apparatus for automating switching operations of a web offset printing press according to the present invention comprises web continuous supplement means for attaching a web of a new web roll to a web of an old web roll to supply the web successively, printing plate changing means for changing a printing plate supported on a plate cylinder, folding device status switching means for switching a folding device status in accordance with a folding condition of the next printing, and ink supplement means for reducing ink amount to a basic ink layer thickness distribution and overlapping an ink layer distribution, corresponding to the next printing, on the basic ink layer thickness distribution. A single switch for changing a previous printing to the next printing in order to actuate each means along predetermined steps in accordance with a signal from the switch.